'Affirmative action rubbish' or just squaring up: Army's push to recruit only women sparks debate

A push to recruit more women into Australia's defence force at the expense of men has attracted heated debate, while the federal government has rushed to hose down reports.

Defence Industry Minister Christopher Pyne said there's "no banning of men being recruited in the army" after it was revealed a quota had been placed on recruitment of women in the army, navy and air force.

"We don't have enough women in the armed forces and we are trying to encourage more to be a part of that society, but there is no banning of men being recruited," he said.

News Corp reported earlier that Australian Defence Force staff have been told to recruit only women, including in frontline combat roles, under threat of being reassigned if they ignore the directive in an attempt to increase the number of female soldiers in its ranks.

News Corp columnist Suzie O'Brien told Sunrise she had no problem with the push to bring more women into the organisation, which had historically been a men-only outfit.

She said the army “really has no choice”.

“Why can’t we assume that the best person for the job comes from an all female talent pool?” she said.

"For years and years they’ve been hiring only men and no one’s been complaining about not having the best person for the job.

"When you’ve got 12 per cent of people in the army who are female then clearly you’ve got to address the balance."

However, 2GB's Chris Smith joined a chorus of conservative commentators slamming the move as political correctness gone mad.

He said the disparity might not be due to discrimination but less women “putting their hand up” for defence force jobs.

“I hate this stuff, I hate this affirmative action rubbish where you create more resentment than anything else," he said.

"Some of the women will then realise that they were only put in this position because they pulled from an all female talent pool."

This week's proposed list of army jobs on offer includes 50 roles, 35 of which are only available to women, the report said.

The navy and air force are said to be facing similar quotas.

Only one of 18 navy jobs listed for the next six months is open to men and the air force has none at all.